Revenue nets more than €5m from 16 tax defaulters in final quarter of 2023

GAA commentator and author Brian Carthy makes settlement of €129,759

The Revenue netted more than €5 million from settlements with 16 tax defaulters over the final three months of 2023, with four of the settlements exceeding €500,000, its latest quarterly tax defaulters’ list shows.

Carrigaline, Co Cork-based medical staff provider Transmedix Limited made the highest settlement in the quarter, with its total of €586,600 in tax, interest and penalties arising after a Revenue investigation of non-declaration of corporation tax and PAYE/PRSI/USC.

Ina’s Kitchen Desserts, trading as Broderick’s, made a settlement for €535,069. The Tallaght, Dublin, manufacturer of cakes and pastry products was the subject of a Revenue audit that found it had underdeclared corporation tax, PAYE/PRSI/USC and VAT.

A statement on behalf of the Broderick family, which regained control and ownership of the company in October 2021, said they had been unaware prior to this point that a Revenue audit had commenced in the late summer of 2021.

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“Since the acquisition on October 1st, 2021, the family has been working with the Revenue to resolve matters and attempts have been made to communicate with the previous owners to settle all issues including compliance with Covid subsidies received in 2021,” it said.

“The family is glad the business has now grown and returned to profit and that this matter has reached a conclusion with the Revenue.”

Martin Byrne, a farmer with an address in Beech Avenue, Kilberry, Athy, Co Kildare, paid €526,784, after underdeclaring income tax, while Mark Hoste, a UK-based landlord with an address in Chester Road, Poynton, Cheshire, in the UK, paid €523,154 after an underdeclaration of capital acquisitions tax.

One well-known figure among the other names on the list is the long-time GAA commentator and author Brian Carthy, listed as “journalist trading as Sliabh Ban Productions”. He made a settlement of €129,759 after an audit that found he had underdeclared income tax, PAYE/PRSI/USC and VAT.

Graham de Barra, a cryptocurrency trader with an address in Ribeira Seca, Portugal, made a settlement for €202,109 after underdeclaring income tax.

Publican Francis Murphy of Main Street, Templemore, made one of the larger settlements, at €471,346, after a Revenue investigation into underdeclaration of income tax and VAT, while The Big Red Book Company, a developer and distributor of computer software based in Glenageary, Co Dublin, made a settlement for €464,568 after an audit found it had underdeclared PAYE/PRSI/USC.

Revenue says it publishes defaulters’ settlements where the taxpayers or businesses have failed to avail of “extensive voluntary disclosure options” and the “default arises because of careless or deliberate behaviour”.

Some €1.13 million of the published settlements remained unpaid as of December 31st.

The 16 published settlements reflect only a portion of the Revenue’s compliance interventions in the period. In the final three months of 2023, a total of 14,039 such interventions were settled, resulting in a total yield of almost €255.5 million.

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery is an Irish Times journalist writing about media, advertising and other business topics